The More You Know: How We Learn By Teaching

It’s fair to say that from the moment we are born until the very end of our lives, we are all learning in one way or another almost constantly. It’s far from controversial to say that our education continues beyond the point at which we graduate from high school or even college – and, in fact, for many of us the value of education only becomes truly clear once we’re outside of a full-time educational setting.

Indeed, there are plenty of arguments to be made that we really start to get the benefit of education once we try to pass on our own knowledge to others. One clear example of this can be seen in college Teaching Assistants. They often prepare lectures and seminars and help students with a subject while they themselves are following a postgraduate degree. Beyond that, too, there are countless ways in which, as a parent or in the world of work, we gain knowledge as we pass it on. Below are just a few examples of how we learn by teaching…

New teachers often learn as much as they teach

Qualifying as a teacher is an ambition that many of us work towards from an early age. Having an affinity for a subject makes us all the more likely to want to pass that knowledge on. When you first qualify as a teacher, it’s fair to say you’re not the finished article – because the classroom will present challenges you’ve never negotiated before. For example, working through Teach for America will offer you the chance to teach less-privileged children, and offers a different perspective on schooling than your own time as a student may have given you. Training may furnish you with the skills, but becoming a teacher doesn’t end there.

As a parent, you’re always answering questions

For many – possibly most – of us, getting older tends to coincide with a loss of curiosity. The world is the way it is, and we get on with living in it. However, when you become a parent – and especially if you homeschool – you’ll find that children ask one question more than any other: “Why?”. As you explain things to a child, they’ll ask that question time and again. Why is the sky blue? Why do the tides go in and out? And while you may be able to answer a lot of these questions, you’ll find that pretty often, you need to check exactly “why”. You’ll be surprised how much you learn just by teaching your kids about the world.

The more you know, the more you want to know

One of the things that children often believe – as evidenced by the above point – is that adults know everything. As you get older, you come to realize that it is impossible to ever know everything – but as a result, there is always the chance to learn more. Whether as a teacher or a parent, you will want to pass on knowledge. This in turn will make you realize that things are constantly changing and developing, and there is always more to learn. As an educator, you become more keenly aware of this – and, for yourself as much as for anyone you are trying to teach, you’ll want to add to the sum total of your knowledge.